Self-wringing mop



May 23, 1961 G. s. THOMPSON ETAL SELF-WRINGING MOP 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 28, 1958 m 7. M H 1 /J May 23, 1961 G. s. THOMPSON EI'AL84,851-

SELF-WRINGING MOP 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 28, 1958 y 1961 G. s.THOMPSON EAL 2,984,851

SELF-WRINGING MOP Filed Nov. 28, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United StatesPatent SELF-VRINGING MOP Glenn S. Thompson, Milwaukee, Wis., and HermanB. Van Velzer, Mundelein, Ill. (600 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago 5, 111.);said Thompson assignor to Ira Milton Jones, Milwaukee, Wis.

Filed Nov. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 777,113

14 Claims. (Cl. 15-119) This invention relates to so-called sponge mops,and refers more particularly to improved means for compressivelysqueezing or swinging the sponge-like swab in a sponge mop to expelliquid therefrom.

The swab in a so-called sponge mop is a bibulous sponge-like block,usually of cellulosic synthetic material, at least one face of which isflatwise engaged against a rigid back-up plate to which a handle isfastened. The back-up plate not only provide stiffening and support forthe swab, and a connection between the swab and the handle, but it alsoserves, in most cases, as one of a pair of jaw members by which the swabmay be compressively squeezed to expel liquid therefrom.

One important advantage of a sponge mop, which largely accounts for itspopularity, is that its swab is easy to clean. When the swab isimmersed, its cells very rapidly fill with liquid, and subsequentcompression of the swab forces the liquid out of it with a flushingaction that tends to carry dirt away from its surface.

However, in many of the sponge mops heretofore known and widely used,the advantages of this desirable feature have been partially or whollylost because wringing compressive force is applied to the swab by meansof a member which overlies its dirt gathering surface and which thusprevents dirt from being freely flushed off of said surface. As aspecific example, one popular type of sponge mop has its swab flatwisesecured to the underside of the backup plate, and has a compressionplate which may be swung around the front of the mop element intoflatwise engagement with the bottom face of the swab to cooperate withthe back-up plate in compressing the swab. Although the compressionplate in this mop is perforated, it nevertheless presents a substantialobstruction to the flushing of dirt off of the dirt gathering face ofthe swab by water squeezed out of its interior.

One attempt to avoid this fault in prior sponge mops is represented bythe device disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,683,887 to E. P. Bell, whereina sponge-like swab was fixedly confined between a pair of elongated jawshinged together along their upper edges to form an inverted V. In themop of said patent, however, it was necessary to permit a substantialportion of the swab to project below the lower edges of the jaw members,to provide a satisfactory working surface, and this portion of the swabcould not be fully compressed when the jaws were brought together, withthe result that the swab could never be squeezed completely dry. It wasalso necessary, in the mop of said patent, to make provision fordownward adjustment of the swab from time to time as its lower surfacewore away with use.

By contrast with these prior expedients, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a sponge mop of the character described wherein theswab is confined between a pair of jam members which overlie the sidefaces of the swab to support it in use, and which may be converged tosqueeze liquid out of the swab, and wherein the bottom dirt gatheringsurface of the swab is left completely 2,984,851 Patented May 23, 1961exposed when the swab is compressed so that accumulations of dirt onsaid surface can be unobstructedly flushed therefrom by liquid beingsqueezed out of the swab.

In connection with the foregoing stated object, it is also an importantobject of the present invention to provide a sponge mop of the characterdescribed wherein a sponge-like swab is mounted between a pair of rigidhingedly connected jaw members which support the swab and connect itwith a handle, and wherein a substantial portion of the swab projectsbelow the jaw members for normal use, to provide a satisfactorilyyieldable dirt gathering surface, but wherein the swab is raised to aposition in which it is substantially completely embraced by the jawmembers during compressive convergence of the latter, so that when theswab is wrung out all parts of it may be subjected to water expellingcompression while its dirt gathering face is left exposed andunobstructed.

Another general object of this invention resides in the provision of asponge mop structure which attains the above described objectives and inwhich the swab does not recognize adjustment to compensate for wearduring the course of its long useful life.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a sponge mop of thecharacter described which may be manufactured at low cost, which issimple and rugged in construction, and which has a swab squeezingmechanism that can be operated in a natural and convenient manner,requiring no awkward manipulation of the mop.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a mop head for asponge mop of the character described, comprising fixed and movable jawswhich are hinged together along their upper edges in an inverted Varrangement, a swab confined between the jaws, and a jaw actuating leverconnected to the movable jaw and normally disposed alongside the handleof the mop, but swingable away from the handle through a forward andupward arc of travel, in which mop head actuation of the handle throughthe first portion of its arc of travel causes the swab to be raised froman operative position with its bottom surface spaced below the loweredges of the jaws, substantially without interference from the jaws, toa swinging position in which the swab is substantially completelyembraced by the jaws, and wherein actuation of the handle through theremainder of its arc of travel converges the jaws upon the swab tocompress the latter.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a sponge mop head ofthe character described in the preceding statement of object, which mophead features a lever which is so connected with the swab and the jawsthat movement of the lever away from the mop handle effects slightrelative spreading of the jaws and raising of the swab from itsoperative position to its wringing position between the spread apartjaws before closing motion is imparted to the jaws.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate several complete examples of thephysical embodiments of the invention constructed according to the bestmodes so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the lower portion ofa sponge mop embodying the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the sponge mop shown in Figure 1;

Fignlre 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line3--3 in Figure 2, but at an enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional View of the mop shown in Figure 1, takenon a plane lying intermediate the mop handle and one end of the mophead, and showing the actuating lever in its normal position;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing the lever movedslightly away from its normal position, at the commencement of awringing operation;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figures 4 and 5, but showing the levermoved to a position in which it causes the swab to be substantiallyfully retracted between the aws;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, but showing the lever swungsubstantially to the limit of its movement away from the handle andeffecting compressive convergence of the jaws upon the swab, with theswab now fully retracted between the jaws;

Figure 8 is a reduced top view of the swab unit, per se;

Figure 9 is a side elevational view similar to Figure 3, at a reducedscale, showing details of the mop handle;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modifiedembodiment of the invention; and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary side elevational view of another modificationof the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, whereinlike numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, thenumeral 5 designates generally the head of a sponge mop of thisinvention comprising downwardly divergent front and rear substantiallyflat jaw members 6 and 7 between which is confined a swab 8 thatpreferably consists of a cellular sponge-like block of syntheticcellulosic material. The jaw members are laterally elongated and arehingedly connected along their upper longitudinal edges by means ofcurved interlocking sections 9 of the jaws themselves which serve thesame purpose as a transverse hinge pin and in addition serve to hold thejaw members against shifting lengthwise with respect to one another. Asshown, upper portions 6' and 7' of the jaws may be more widely divergentthan the larger lower portions of the jaws. A mop handle 10, to bespecifically described later, is rigidly afiixed to the central portionof the rear jaw member 7, projecting from said jaw member substantiallynormal to its surface, and hence the rear jaw member may be consideredas relatively fixed while the front jaw member 6 may be regarded asmovable toward and from it about the axis of the hinge connectionafforded by the interlocking sections 9. The mop head also includes anactuating lever 11 by which the jaws may be actuated, as more fullydescribed hereinafter.

The elongated swab 8 has a length substantially equal to that of the jawmembers and is carried between the jaw members with its ends adjacent totheirs. The swab has a substantially trapezoidal cross section, taperingupwardly so that its bottom face 12, which provides a dirt gathering orworking surface, is widest, and so that its obliquely inclined front andrear faces 13 and 14 will normally be flatwise supportingly engaged bythe opposing inner surfaces of the downwardly divergent front and rearjaw members 6 and 7.

The manually operable actuating lever 11 by means of which the jawmembers may be compressively converged is substantially T-shaped, as maybe seen from Figure 1. The stem of the T normally lengthwise overliesthe lower portion of the handle 10 and provides the actuating arm 15 ofthe lever, while its cross bar 17 extends lengthwise over the convergentupper end portions of the jaws and has rigid downwardly directed flangeson its opposite ends providing a pair of parallel cam plates 16 thatoverlie the ends of the swab and jaw members.

The actuating lever is mounted for free swinging movement relative toboth jaw members, about an axis parallel to that of the hinge connectionbetween the jaws, to and from a normal position (shown in Figures 1, 2and 4) in which the actuating arm 15 of the lever is disposed directlylengthwise adjacent to the mop handle it The lever is mounted for suchmovement by means of a pair of lugs 13 which project forwardly from theends of the front jaw member, intermediate its top and bottom edges.Coaxial trunnion rivets 19, extending through these lugs and through theextremities of forward extensions 20 on the adjacent cam plates 16,provide the pivotal connection between the front jaw member and thelever. The lever may be releasably secured in its normal position bymeans of a pair of opposite resilient fingers 21 which extend rearwardlyand downwardly from the actuating arm of the lever to grippingly embracethe mop handle.

As the lever is swung away from its normal position, it first raises theswab from the operative position seen best in Figures 2 and 4 to theretracted or wringing position illustrated in Figure 6, and as the leveris swung further away from the handle it effects convergence of the jawsupon the swab to compressively wring it, as shown in Figure 7. In orderto provide for up and down movement of the swab relative to the jaws inthe manner just described, the swab is not directly fastened to eitherof the jaw members. Instead, it is held confined between the jaws bymeans of a rigid rod 22 which is connected to the swab along its topsurface and which has its end portions received in slots 23 in the twocam plates 16. The rod 22 is located centrally between the adjacentinner edges of a pair of stabilizer plates 24 of metal or othersubstantially rigid material, which overlie the oppositely sloping topsurfaces T1 and T2 of the swab. The remote edges of the plates '24 liedirectly adjacent to the front and rear faces of the swab and to thejaws 6 and 7.

The plates 24 extend for substantially the full length of the swab, andwhile they may be bonded or otherwise secured to the top of the swabthey are also confined under a strip of fabric 25 or the like whichextends across the top of the swab, under the rod 22, and part way downthe front and rear faces of the swab, the fabric being bonded to theswab by a waterproof adhesive, or otherwise suitably secured thereto.

Since the plates 24 slope downwardly and outwardly from the rod 22toward engagement with the inner surfaces of the jaw members, they actto limit upward movement of the swab relative to the jaw members duringmopping but do not interfere with closure of the jaw members duringwringing of the swab. In other words, the stabilizer plates 24 are ineffect hingedly connected to one another, through the yielding top ofthe swab, adjacent to their inner edges and below the rod 22. Hence,they may swing freely toward one another from a position of maximumdivergence at which they normally hold the swab extended.

Shorter strips 26 of similar fabric are looped over the rod 22 and havetheir front and rear edges sewed or otherwise secured to the strip 25 toserve as a pocket to snugly receive the rod, and in which pocket the rod22 is readily endwise insertable and removable.

The end portions of the rod project beyond the ends of the swab and jawmembers, as best seen in Figure 3, to extend through the cam slots 23 inthe cam plates 16, so that these projecting end portions of the rodprovide cam followers which ride in the cam slots 23. Axial displacementof the cam followers out of the cam plates is prevented by provision ofa nut 29 threaded onto the projecting end of the rod, it beingunderstood that the other end of the rod 22 may have a head formedthereon so that only one nut 29 is necessary.

It will now be apparent that the swab may be readily replaced byremoving the nut 29 from the rod and with drawing the rod axially out ofthe cam plates and the pocket forming loops 26 to thus completelydisconnect the swab from the jaw members. A new swab unit is placedbetween the jaws, with its pocket forming loops 26 aligned with theslots 23 in the cam plates, and the rod may then be reinserted into theloops of the new swab to restore the mop to serviceable condition.

The fact that the swab is not directly secured to either of the jawmembers not only facilitates its replacement but also permits it to bereadily raised to its wringing position (shown in Figure 6) and loweredto its operative position (illustrated in Figure 4); and such retractionand extension of the swab is eifected by means of the cam plates 15 incooperation with the end portions of the rod 22. The cam surface 31defined by the slot 23 in each cam plate has a configuration such thatits rear end is at a substantially greater distance from the pivot axisof the lever (i.e., the axis of the trunnion rivets 19) than its frontend, and consequently as the lever is swung away from its normal (Figure4) position, the surface 31 cammingly raises the rod 22, which carriesthe swab upwardly with it. The sequence of events during the initialportion of the swinging movement of the lever will be readily understoodfrom Figures 4-6 inclusive, which bring out the fact that the swab islifted to its uppermost position in consequence of movement of the leverthrough a predetermined distance comprising only a portion of its arc oftravel.

When the swab is in its uppermost position, nearly completely within thebite of the jaws (but not before) the movable front jaw is urged towardthe fixed rear jaw in consequence of further movement of the lever awayfrom its normal position. To this end the lever has a lost motionconnection with the movable jaw member 6, which connection is affordedby end portions 32 on the endmost jaw hinge sections 9 projecting intoslots 33 in the cam plates. The slots 33 in which the endmost hingesections are engaged are arcuate and are concentric with the pivot axisof the lever, and they are long enough to assure that counterclockwiseswinging of the lever out of its normal position will not effectrelative closing movement of the jaws until the swab is fully retracted.However, when abutments 34 provided by the lower ends of slots 33 engagethe end portions of the endmost hinge sections 9, the lever as a wholefulcrurns about said hinge sections, and upon further swinging of theactuating arm of the lever away from the mop handle the lever swings thefront jaw rearwardly, compressing the swab in the manner illustrated inFigure 7. Thus the arcuate length of the slots 33 determines the anglethrough which the lever travels before effecting jaw closing movement,or in other words provides the lost motion in the connection between thelever and the jaws.

It will also be appreciated from a consideration of Figure 5, whichshows the swab in a partly raised position, that the slots 33 enable theswab to be lifted in the manner described substantially withoutinterference from the jaw members, and that because of these slots,there is nothing to prevent the jaw members from spreading apart as theswab is drawn upwardly between them, to thus relieve the connectionbetween the rod 22 and the swab of tension stresses that might otherwisecause the rod to quickly wear through the fabric of the pocket in whichthe rod is received or to cause the fabric to pull loose from the upperportion of the swab.

It is also important to note that the lower edge portion of the frontjaw member is curved inwardly, as at 36, toward the swab. Thus, duringclosing motion of the front jaw member 6, toward its position seen inFigure 7, the curved outer end portion of the front jaw member in effecttravels outwardly toward the front corner of the swab and acts upon thesame to cause both front and rear corners of the swab, at its bottom, tobe folded upwardly and inwardly, completely within the space defined bythe jaw members. Although the bottom face of the swab is thussubstantially folded upon itself, as at 37, this occurs at a time whensubstantially all of the water has been expelled from the swab so thatall dirt and lint will have been flushed from the bottom of the mopbefore it is folded inwardlyas described.

As the handle is returned to its normal position the sequence of eventsillustrated by Figures 4-7 inclusive is, of course, reversed. It will beobserved that when the swab is in its retracted position the rod 22 willbe closely adjacent to the hinge 9, and that the slight downhill travelof cam slots 23 during jaw actuating movement of the lever will be of nopractical significance by reason of the fact that the jaws immediatelybegin to close on the swab.

It is noteworthy that the bottom surface of the swab is never covered byany portion of the jaw mechanism, so that water expelled from the swabcan readily flush dirt off of said surface without obstruction.Preferably the jaw members are provided with slots 35 or otherperforations through which Water can be imbibed into and expelled fromthe front and rear faces of the swab. Attention is also directed to thefact that a substantial portion of the swab projects below the loweredges of the jaw members when the swab is in its operative position, sothat the swab can be used for a long time before it will be worn down tothe point where its bottom surface approaches the level of the loweredges of the jaw members and replacement of the swab becomes necessary.

As shown in Figure 9, the handle 10 of the mop preferably has a lengthslightly greater than the lever 15, and it may be made of tubular sheetmetal with broad helical deformations 38 in its rear to receive thethreaded end of a wooden handle extension 39. The handle extension 39,when in place on the mop, enables a person to perform mopping operationswhile in an upright position without stopping. When the extension isdetached, however, that portion 10 of the handle which remains attachedto the rear jaw member serves as a shorter handle much more convenientfor use in crowded quarters and especially in bathtubs, etc. In thisrespect, it should be noted that the broad helical indentations 38 serveto receive the fingers of the hand of a person holding the shorter mophandle and thus serve as a convenient gripping portion on the handle.

In the modified embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 10, the jawmembers are positively spread apart a slight amount before retraction ofthe swab commences, to provide greater assurance that the jaws will notinterfere with retraction of the swab and that as much of the swab aspossible will be embraced by the jaws before they are caused to convergeupon it. In the Figure 10 modification the swab is lifted or retractedin consequence of cooperation between cam follower end portions of therod 22 and cam slots 23 in cam plates 16', as in the previouslydescribed embodiment of the invention, but it eliminates the concentricslots 33 of said previous embodiment. However, short end portions 23 ofthe swab lifting slots 23 nearest the trunnions 19 are made concentricto the trunnion axis, and each of the cam plates has a curved rear camsurface 40 which engages under a fixed laterally extending cam followerpin 41 mounted on a lug 42 projecting from the adjacent portion of therear jaw member. The cam surfaces 40 are concentric to the axis oftrunnions 19 except for depressions 40' in their upper end portions,with depressions are thus relatively nearer the pivot axis of thetrunnions 19. The pins 41, of course, normally engage the depressions 40so that as the lever is initially swung away from its normal positionthe front jaw is swung forwardly by the engagement of the cam followerpins 41 with the larger radius portions of the cam surfaces 40. Duringsuch spreading of the jaws, the rod 22 on the top of the swab rides inthe concentric upper end portions 23' of the swab lift slots 23. Afterthe jaws have been thus spread apart, continued counterclockwisemotiomof the lever engages the sloping lift portions of the slots 23with the ends of the rod 22 to cause full retraction of the swab, andupon such retraction thereof, laterally inwardly struck abutments 43 onthe cam plates 16 engage the end hinge sections 9 to fulcrum the leverand thus cause the front jaw to be swung rearwardly in unison withfurther movement of the lever away from its normal position. The camplates 16' have abrupt curves. 44 on their cam surface edges which rideunder the cam follower pins 41 when the lever reaches the point in itsswinging travel at which it fulcrums about the hinge pin, and thereaftersaid follower pinspresent no further obstruction to rearward motion ofthe front jaw member.

As the lever is swung back to its normal position, and after it passesthe point at which the fulcrum abutments 43 are disengaged from the endhinge sections 9, the swab will be lowered to its extended positionwhile the jaws are again held diverged. As the lever is swung throughthe last few degrees into its normal position, with the swab almostfully extended, the cam follower pins 41 ride down into the depressions40' on the cams 40, permitting the front jaw member to move slightlyrearwardly, and such rearward movement takes place partly as a result ofthe tension which is naturally applied to the lever as the same is swungto itsnormal position, and partly by the engagement of fingers 45 on thecam plates 16' over the rear of the pins 41. The front jaw member thusholds the swab under a slight steadying compression when the lever is inits normal position, forward swinging movement of said jaw beingprevented by the fingers 45.

The modified embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 11 alsoeffects slight positive divergence of the jaws during initial swingingof the lever out of its normal position, but concomitantly withretraction of the swab. As in the previously described embodiments, thelever is freely swingably connected to the movable front jaw, but theswab is raised and lowered by means of the engagement of the ends of therod 22 on the swab in substantially straight cam slots 23 in cam plates16" which comprise a part of the lever. As in the Figure 10 embodimentof the invention, laterally inwardly struck abutments 4-3 on the camplates 16" engage the end hinge sections 9 on the jaws at the conclusionof the initial portion of the swinging movement of the lever.

However, the Figure 11 embodiment of the invention is distinguished by atoggle connection 50 between the jaw members and end portions of the rod22 which extends along the top of the swab, by which connection the jawsare caused to be diverged as the swab is retracted. The toggleconnection consists of a pair of links 51 and 52 at each end of theswab, disposed between the ends of the jaw members and the adjacent camplates. The links of each pair have adjacent ends which are pivotallyconnected to the rod 22, and their remote ends are bent inwardly overthe jaw members as at 55, to extend through slightly elongated slots 56in ears 57 fixed on the jaw members, whereby the remote ends of thelinks are pivotally connected to the front and rear jaws. In theoperative extended position of the swab the rod 22 is disposed below aline joining the connec tions of the links 51 and 52 with the jawmembers, and in the fully retracted position of the swab the rod isdisposed above said line, hence the links and rod cooperate to' divergethe jaws to a limited extent as the swab is retracted to its wringingposition. Because the bent ends 55 of the pins can shift slightly in theslots in the ears 57, the links do not interfere with lever propelledconvergence of the jaws when the swab is fully retracted.

From the foregoing description taken together with the accompanyingdrawings it will be apparent that this invention provides a sponge mopof the type comprising a swab of cellular cellulosic synthetic materialor the like carried between a pair of hingedly connected jaw membersdisposed in an inverted V arrangement, wherein a substantial portion ofthe swab projects below the lower edges of the jaw members during normaluse of the mop, and wherein movement of an actuating lever out of anormal position overlying the mop handle first effects retraction of theswab, without interference from or convergence of the jaws, to aposition at which the swab is substantially completely embraced by thejaws before effecting convergence of the jaws upon the swab to compressthe swab and squeeze liquid out of it. It will also be apparent that inthe mop of this invention the floor engaging surface of the swab remainsexposed while the jaws compress it, so that liquid squeezed out of theswab can unobstructedly flush dirt off of its floor engaging surface.

What is claimed as our invention is:

1. In a mop of the type having an elongated swab of sponge material; apair of elongated jaw members having upper and lower longitudinal edges;means providing a hinged connection between the upper longitudinal edgesof said jaw members, the swab being confined between the jaw members forbodily up and down movement between a lower operative position in whicha portion of the swab projects beneath the lower longitudinal edges ofthe jaw members and a raised wringing position in which substantiallyall portions of the swab are embraced by the jaw members; a rigid rodfixed to the swab near the top thereof and extending parallel to the jawhinge axis, said rod being translatable up and down to carry the swabtoits operative and'wringing positions; a handle fixed to one of the jawmembers and projecting therefrom; a lever pivotally connected to theother jaw member intermediate its top and bottom longitudinal edges forrelative swinging motion about an axis fixed with respect to said otherjaw member and parallel to the hinge axis, to and from a defined normalposition; fulcrum means fixed with respect to one of said jaw members;means on the lever providing an abutment engageaole with said fulcrummeans when the lever is swung a predetermined distance from its normalposition, to constrain said other jaw member to swing about its hingeaxis in unison with further swinging movement of the lever away from itsnormal position; and means providing a motion transmitting connectionbetween said lever and said rod whereby said rod is moved upward duringswinging movement of the lever away from its normal position throughsaid predetermined distance, thus causing the rod to carry the swab toits wringing position between the jaw members while the latter remaindiverged, and whereby the swab is held in its wringing position whilethe lever is swung beyond said distance away from its normal position tocause said other jaw member to wringingly compress the swab.

2. The mop of claim 1, wherein the means providing said motiontransmitting connection comprises a pair of cam elements, each securedto the lever in fixed relation thereto adjacent to an end of the swaband each having a cam surface engaged by an end portion of said rod.

3. The mop of claim 2 wherein said means providing a hinged connectionbetween the jaw members comprises interlocking hinge sections havingportions projecting beyond the ends of the jaws to provide said fulcrummeans; and wherein said abutment means comprises shoulders on said camelements engageable with the projecting portions of said hinge sections.

4. In a mop of the type having a pair of elongated jaw members withupper and lower longitudinal edges and which are hinged together alongtheir upper longitudinal edges, one of said jaw members having handlemeans afiixed thereto and the other jaw member being swingable about thehinge axis toward and from the first, and an elongated swab of spongematerial having a floor engaging bottom surface, said swab beingsupported by at least one of the jaw members and adapted to becompressively squeezed by them in consequence of relative swingingmotion of the movable jaw member toward the other: means providing aconnection between the swab and the two jaw members whereby the swab ismounted lengthwise between the jaw members for bodily up and downmovement between a lowered operative position in which its bottomsurface is spaced below the lower longitudinal edges of the jaw members,and a raised sqeezing position in which substantially all portions ofthe swab are embraced by the jaw members; a lever connected with one ofthe jaw members for swinging motion relative to both jaw members aboutan axis parallel to that of the jaw hinge, toward and from a normalposition; means providing a lost motion connection between said leverand the movable jaw member whereby the movable jaw member is constrainedto swing toward the fixed jaw member upon movement of the lever awayfrom its normal position beyond a predetermined distance; and meansproviding a motion transmitting connection between said lever and theswab for raising the swab to its squeezing position as the lever isswung away from its normal position through said predetermined distanceand for holding the swab in said squeezing position as said movable jawmember is swung toward the fixed jaw member during further swinging ofthe lever in said direction so that the jaws will compress the swab in amanner to expel water from it through its bottom floor-engaging surface,whereby dirt is efiectively flushed off of the same.

5. In a mop of the character described: a pair of elongated jaw membershaving adjacent longitudinal upper edges and a hinged connection betweensaid adjacent edges; a handle fixed to one of said jaw members, theother jaw member being relatively swingable about the axis of the hingedconnection toward and from the first designated jaw member; a leverfreely pivotally connected to said other jaw member for swinging motionrelative to both jaw members about an axis parallel to that of thehinged connection, to and from a normal position; an elongated swab ofsponge material confined between the jaw members with its ends adjacentto the ends of the jaw members and having a bottom face which is adaptedto be engageable with surfaces to be cleaned; an elongated rigid membersecured to said swab a substantial distance above its bottom face andextending lengthwise of the swab, said rigid member having end portionswhich project beyond the ends of the swab to provide cam followers; apair of cam plates rigidly connected with said lever and overlying theends of the jaws and the swab, substantially normal to said rod, saidcam plates having cam surfaces thereon which are engaged by the camfollower portions on said rod and cooperate with the same to raise therod as the lever is swung through a predetermined distance from itsnormal position, to hold the swab in a raised position substantiallyentirely embraced by the jaws as the lever is swung beyond said distancein the same direction, and to lower the swab as the lever is swung backto its normal position; and cooperating abutments on said cam plates andon one of the jaw members, engageable when the lever has been swungthrough said predetermined distance from its normal position, toconstrain the lever and the movable jaw member to swing in unison as thelever is swung beyond said predetermined distance from its normalposition, to compressively converge the jaw members upon the swab whenthe latter is in its raised position.

6. In a mop of the type comprising an elongated swab of sponge materialand a handle, means connected with the handle for supporting the swab inuse and for squeezing the swab during cleaning thereof, said meanscomprising: relatively fixed and movable jaw members having elongatedupper and lower edges and hingedly connected at their upper edges, thehandle being secured to the relatively fixed jaw member and therelatively movable jaw member being swingable toward and from therelatively fixed jaw member about the axis of the hinged connection;means including a rigid stifiening member extending lengthwise of theswab mounting the swab between the jaw members for up and downtranslatory movement between an operative position in which asubstantial portion of the swab projects below the jaw members and asqueezing position in which the swab is substantially completelyembraced by the jaw members; a lever pivotally connected to one of thejaw members for free swinging motion relative to both jaw members to andfrom a normal position; means providing a lost motion connection betweenthe lever and the relatively movable jaw member whereby the lever isfree to swing through a predettermined distance from its normal positionwithout effecting movement of the relatively movable jaw member towardthe fixed jaw member, but whereby further movement of the lever awayfrom said position constrains the relatively movable jaw member to swingtoward the relatively fixed jaw member; and means providing a motiontransmitting connection between the lever and the swab whereby movementof the lever away from its normal position through said predetermineddistance raises the swab from its operative position to its squeezingposition, so that during further movement of the lever away from itsnormal position the swab is compressively squeezed by the relativelymovable jaw member as the latter swings toward the relatively fixed jawmember.

7. In a sponge mop; a handle; a first jaw mounted on the end of thehandle; a movable second jaw hinged to the first jaw and swingabletoward the latter about a transverse axis; a sponge mounted intermediatesaid jaws to be squeezed therebetween upon swinging of the movable jawtoward the first jaw; a lever pivotally connected to the second jaw formotion relative thereto about an axis parallel to but spaced from saidhinge axis, said lever being swingable toward and from a normalposition; cooperating stops on the lever and on one of said jawsengageable upon swinging movement of the lever in one direction awayfrom its normal position and relative to the second jaw through an angleof predetermined magnitude to provide a motion transmitting connectionbetween the lever and the second jaw whereby the latter is swung towardthe first jaw in unison with swinging motion of the lever in saiddirection beyond said predetermined angle; means providing a motiontransmitting connection between the lever and the sponge operable toefiect retraction of the sponge to a position substantially completelyembraced by the jaws during swinging motion of the lever through saidpredetermined angle; and means providing a motion transmittingconnection between the lever and said jaws operable only during swingingmotion of the lever through said predetermined angle to positivelyeffect slight swinging of the movable second jaw, away from the firstjaw, to thereby facilitate retraction of the sponge.

8. The sponge mop of claim 7, wherein said last named means comprises anelongated cam surface on the lever, and a cam follower fixed on the rearjaw and cooperable with said cam surface on the lever.

9. The sponge mop of claim 7, wherein said last named means compriseslinkage pivotally connected between each jaw and the sponge and soarranged as to impart relative spreading motion to the jaws as aconsequence of retracting motion of the sponge.

10. In a mop of the type having an elongated swab of sponge material:means for supporting the swab during mopping use thereof and forcompressing the swab to squeeze liquid out of it, said means comprisinga pair of jaws having elongated upper and lower edges and hingedtogether along their upper edges; means mounting the swab between thejaws for up and down movement of the swab from a lower operativeposition in which a substantial portion of the swab projects below thelower edges of the jaws to a raised squeezing position in which the swabis substantially completely embraced by the jaws; a lever on the mopmounted for free swinging motion relative to the jaws through apredetermined angle of swing to and from a normal position; meansproviding a connection between the lever and the swab whereby movementof the lever away from its normal position through a portion of itsangle of swing raises the swab to its squeezing position; meansproviding a connection between the lever and the jaws whereby movementof the lever through the remainder of its angle of swing effectsconvergence of the jaws to squeeze the swab, said last; named connectionmeans being inoperative to effect convergence. of the jaws duringmovement of the lever through the first designated portion of its angleof swing so that the swab may be raised to its squeezing positionwithout interference from the jaws; and stabilizer means carried by theswab and engageable with the jaws to normally preclude movement of theswab upwardly between the jaws in consequence of the exertion of moppingpressure upon the swab.

11. The mop of claim 10, wherein said stabilizer means comprises a pairof substantially rigid plate members lengthwise lying upon the top ofthe swab and normally diverging downwardly in fore and aft directionstoward the jaws, and means securing said plate members to the top of theswab to provide a substantially hinged joint between the adjacent edgeportions of said plate members whereby the same may be swung toward oneanother from positions of maximum divergence at which the remote edgesof the plate members engage the inner surfaces of the jaws.

12. A swab unit for sponge mops, comprising: an elongated swab of spongematerial having a substantially flat bottom face, upwardly and inwardlysloping front and rear faces, and downwardly and outwardly sloping topsurfaces; substantially rigid stabilizer plates overlying said slopingtop surfaces of the swab, said plates having their inner edges adjacentto one another and their remote edges adjacent to the front and rearfaces of the swab; means securing said plates to the swab to provide forswinging of said plates toward one another about an axis lengthwise ofthe swab and adjacent to the inner edges of the plates; and meansconnected to the top of the swab providing a pocket having its axislengthwise of the sponge and substantially directly over the inner edgesof the stabilizer plates, in which a rod may be endwise removablyreceived.

13. The swab unit of claim 12, wherein said pocket forming meanscomprises straps spanning the adjacent ends of the stabilizer plates,and having their ends fixed with relation to said plates, the medialportions of said straps defining loops to removably receive a rod.

14. The swab unit of claim 13, further characterized by the provision ofa fabric covering secured to the top surfaces and upper surface portionsof the front and rear faces of the swab, and having the stabilizerplates confined thereunder, said covering extending uninterruptedlyacross the top of the swab, under the pocket forming loops thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,089,475 Johnson et a1. 2- Mar. 10, 1914 2,224,462 Williams Dec. 10,1940 2,443,233 Filardo June 15, 1948 2,624,061 'Leas Jan. 6, 19532,683,887 Bell July 20, 1954 2,840,843 Vavrinek July 1, 1958 FOREIGNPATENTS 202,357 Australia July 5, 1956 562,615 France Nov. 15, 19 23

